Do Good Assassins Rome Independent Rome is quite an ambitious move – a double-album debut from Do Good Assassins, the latest band from Lowest of the Low singer-songwriter Ron Hawkins. In most hands, this would be an abysmal failure, but [...]
Esthero Everything Is Expensive Universal Music Canada Everything Is Expensive is Esthero’s first release since 2005’s Wikked Lil’ Grrrls. The Los Angeles-based Canadian-born singer returns with a poppy album brimming with heartfelt ballads and [...]
Indian Handcrafts Civil Disobedience For Losers Sargent House Records When listening to Civil Disobedience For Losers, one might think that this much sound could only come from a full five-piece band. But, then you realize that Indian Handcrafts [...]
Neil Young Psychedelic Pill Reprise Neil Young has got what it takes to keep the ’60s going, and with the release of his second album of the year, Psychedelic Pill, he does exactly that. After a ten year absence Young is joined by Crazy Horse, [...]
Punks On Mars Bad Expectations Zoo Music Starting the 14-track (or, 28-minute) album off with a very mystical and outer-space-like sound, definitely gave a dramatic feel for what to expect on the rest of the album. Punks on Mars’ Bad [...]
Parkway Drive Atlas Resist Records/ Epitaph Records Australian Metalcore band Parkway Drive is never a disappointment when it comes to their sound. With the release of their fourth album, Atlas, they’re still dominant in the Metalcore scene. [...]
HIM XX: Two Decades of Love Metal The End Records The new 20-track compilation album, XX: Two Decades of Love Metal by HIM is a treat for old fans and a prize for new ones too. This well-crafted compilation album holds some of the Finnish Rock [...]
Various Artists Endzeit Bunkertracks [Act VI] Alfa Matrix The Endzeit Bunkertracks compilations – if you know them, you love them, and if you don’t know them, put your boots on and prepare to get dark and crunchy. Awaiting you is nearly 70 [...]
Tweaker Call The Time Eternity Metropolis It’s always interesting to hear solo efforts by musicians that are more strongly associated with larger musical acts. Some examples that come to mind are Alan Wilder’s Recoil project, Nivek Ogre’s OHGR [...]
Foam Lake Force and Matter (Reissue) Aporia Records Force and Matter is a re-release of Foam Lake’s independent debut from last year. Two bonus tracks have been added (“The Fall” and “Bus Stop”) and the album has been remastered. My original [...]
Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city Top Dawg, Aftermath & Interscope Records Quality music. Kendrick Lamar’s second studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, is refreshing and shows that quality Rap music is still alive today. Sharing his [...]
GRMLN Explore Carpark Records Placid, laid back, dreamy; these are three words that can be used to describe GRMLN’s debut Explore EP. Based out of California, GRMLN sounds the part; sunny and warm, tinged with hints of nostalgic melancholia. [...]
Bison B.C. Lovelessness Metal Blade For those wondering why there are only six songs on this full-length release from Vancouver’s Bison B.C., the answer is simple; the average track is over seven minutes long. These dudes are the kings of [...]
Of Montreal Daughter of Cloud Polyvinyl Records At its best, Daughter of Cloud is a compilation album for the diehard Of Montreal fan consisting of a staggering 17 tracks of unreleased cuts and rarities. At its worst, it’s an effort by the band [...]
The Luyas Animator Paper Bag Records From the earliest moments of Animator, The Luyas create a scene of natural beauty from the most unexpected instruments. A stuttering drum machine, recorded with a touch of reverb, evokes the sound of [...]
Uberbyte Five Year Plan Vendetta Music Sheffield England’s Uberbyte is a five piece Electronic band that made their debut in 2007 and has five full-length releases in their discography. Their latest album, Five Year Plan, opens with a real [...]
Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo: 1987-1993 Warner Music Canada Blue Rodeo has reached a glorious milestone. Twenty-five years ago Outskirts (1987) was released and launched the band into the Canadian and international music scene. According to Jason [...]
Correatown Pleiades Highline Records I would be remiss if I did not immediately confess that Correatown’s new album probably won’t be on any of my iPod playlists; nor will it be transferred from my iTunes library onto a CD so that I can listen [...]
Dada Life The Rules of Dada Sony Music Canada Dada Life is awesome. Refreshing, live, something new that’s been brought to the table. The Swedish Electronic/House duo (Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom) are leaving a big footprint behind in the [...]
Bassnectar Freestyle Amorphous Music Freestyle, the name dropped on Bassnectar’s new EP which couldn’t suit it better. It’s in your face and jumps around, so hold back on the expectations, other than it’s awesome. From track-to-track there isn’t [...]
Hannah Georgas Hannah Georgas Dine Alone Records Hannah Georgas’ voice is a force to be reckoned with; light and sweet like pixie sticks, it effortlessly carries tunes as if they were feathers floating on a breeze. The self-titled album, Hannah [...]
Placebo B3 EP Vertigo Placebo is back – sort of. A new album is on its way (due in 2013), but for right now, the UK powerhouse is giving us B3 to snack on while we wait for the main course. Now, this five-track EP isn’t a taste of things to [...]
Waxmen Shadow Independent Alternative Rock trio Waxmen have just released their outstanding three-song EP, Shadow. The tracks, intensified by lead vocalist and bassist James Stefanuk’s powerful vocal delivery, are brought to life with [...]
METZ METZ Sub Pop Records I delayed writing about METZ’s self-titled debut to try and avoid getting swept up in the hype. Many people, whose opinions I trust, love the band and the critical acclaim seemed overwhelming since their signing to Sub [...]
